Why all the lefty hate?

Flashpoint

Flashpoint

Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
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I gave my 10 year old southpaw son my old Vapor II to use after he proved he was able to keep up with a knife (he started out with gas station cheapies). Anyway, he was tickled to death to have and almost always has it on him (with the exception of going to school). After a little bit he started carrying it in his left pocket backwards. When he goes to use it he has to take it out, flip it and then open it. So I got to feeling a little sorry for him and started looking for lefty friendly knife. Naturally I started looking at Kershaw's lineup first, but I found nothing.:( I did find a some from other makers though and ended up finding a deal on a BM Pardue Mini-Ambush ($32). I'm just a little sad, he is left handed enough that he probably won't carry in his right pocket. I was thinking that several of my knives would end up in his care at some point, but he wouldn't be able to use them without tapping the other side to move the clip. He'll probably end up being a Benchmadian. :eek::D
 
:o Oh, well that's good to know, but they're a little out of the price range for what I was willing to hand over to a 10 year old. Actually the $32 was stretching it. I was hoping I could find something closer to the $20-25 range, but that's all I could find at that site that I thought he would like and was lefty friendly.
 
The zing should be affordable if you want to give it to him as a big birthday/Christmas present.

Good luck.
 
Many of Kershaw's designs lend themselves to alteration. If you have access to a drill press and some taps, you should be able move the clip to the other side on some models.
 
Well I've always wondered this too. Thankfully I am not lefty or else I would be frustrated at the lack of selection in Kershaw's lineup. Better Spydercoite than Benchmadian right? (Seeing how Kershaw and Spyderco did a collaboration, they are on friendly terms yes?) All Spydercos are ambi, save for the liner and compression lock models. Byrds are in the $20 range, so a Robin or Meadowlark would be suitable.
 
Flashpoint said:
I checked the Byrds but it didn't appear that they were ambi.
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That's funny, because I have my G10 Meadowlark in front of me and it is drilled for both left and right side tip-up carry. Also, lockbacks are easy to manipulate with either hand.
 
I believe the stainless Byrds are right hand only, while the FRN and G10 models are ambi.
 
Thomas W said:
No future Stud Lock models will be produced other than the current 3 in the line-up.
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That's a shame. I got to handle an Offset and I thought it was a great locking mechanism but the knife itself was just too big for me to EDC realistically.
 
carrot said:
That's a shame. I got to handle an Offset and I thought it was a great locking mechanism but the knife itself was just too big for me to EDC realistically.
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Carrot, Kershaw has the Speed/Spec bumps and the mini mojito that have that lock as well.

Spec bump is my lefty EDC--it's easy for me open it from my left pocket via reverse icepick.
 
I just wanted to mention that liner locks and framelocks are ambidextrous. I can just as easily open them with my left as my right. The poorly made ones that take a ton of force aren't easy, but anything from the big three is fine left or right.
 
knivesandguns said:
Spec bump is my lefty EDC--it's easy for me open it from my left pocket via reverse icepick.
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I have my Spec Bump on me today, so I switched it over to my left pocket, and if I'm doing what your doing to get it open, man that's just awkward. :confused:
 
Artfully Martial said:
I just wanted to mention that liner locks and framelocks are ambidextrous. I can just as easily open them with my left as my right. The poorly made ones that take a ton of force aren't easy, but anything from the big three is fine left or right.
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I always found closing them fluidly with just my left hand to be difficult, though possible. For left hand carry knives I typically go with lockback or compression lock. My left hand isn't quite as dexterous as my right, but it manages these lock types well.
 
Flashpoint said:
I have my Spec Bump on me today, so I switched it over to my left pocket, and if I'm doing what your doing to get it open, man that's just awkward. :confused:
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Use your third finger to engage the thumstud. Well.. I have been playing the piano for a while, so I guess my fingers are a lil' more dexterous :D :p

You need to draw the knife as if it were in a tip-up position--kinda like if you're drawing a pistol. Thumb goes towards the middle of the knife and the other 4 fingers go on the outside of the pocket, on top of the pocket clip. Draw knife, use third finger to push thumstud and voil'a you have it in reverse ice pick.
 
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